In a move set to ease restrictions for the movement of imported renewable energy equipment, the Colombian energy ministry announced that private service ports will be allowed to receive and handle imported equipment destined for renewable energy projects in the country. Private ports have been given the special green light through a resolution by the ministry of transport and will have to seek authorisation from the national infrastructure agency ANI to provide services to third parties to which they are not legally or economically linked.
The ministry reminded that at least 14 renewable energy projects will be built by 2022 thanks to power auctions held last year. Nine of them are wind power projects, which are to be located in the department of La Guajira on the Caribbean coast. The remaining five are solar projects planned for the departments of Cesar, Cordoba, Valle del Cauca and Tolima.
The energy ministry highlighted that the new resolution will give project developers more choice in picking a port that best serves their transport needs and can move the equipment to its final destination. It will also improve equipment delivery times, allowing developers to meet commissioning deadlines, while also letting them better coordinate dates and docking needs at times when multiple projects are being carried out simultaneously, the ministry added.
